Another Victim of 'Honor Killing' in Iranshahr; Both Girl and Boy Killed by Girl's Relatives

A girl and a boy in Khairabad, Iranshahr were shot dead by the girl's relatives over what is termed 'honor' motives, and two other citizens were injured. An informed source told the Baloch Activists Campaign that 'the girl's relatives, aware of the honor-related situation, lured the boy with a premeditated plan, kidnapped him, and transferred him to an unknown location.' Regarding the boy's death, the source stated that he was tortured from the evening of Wednesday, June 6, until the morning of the next day, 'as a result of which he lost his life, and then shots were fired at his head, neck, and other parts of his body.' The source also mentioned that the girl was killed by her uncle on Saturday, June 9. Based on similar reported murders, these types of killings are carried out with the agreement of male family and clan members and by male relatives. According to the source, two other citizens were injured by gunfire while searching for the boy's relatives. Women's rights activists say that the lack of judicial rigor against the perpetrators of honor killings has led to an increase in such cases. In the past year, there have been many instances where a father or brother of a young woman has killed a young man under the pretext of not adhering to hijab or having contact with another man, and the perpetrator faced minimal punishment. Some academic articles and theses have reported annual statistics of between 375 to 450 cases of honor killings in Iran, referred to in the government’s official literature as 'honor killings.' According to the laws of the Islamic Republic, if the father of the victim is the killer, he is effectively immune due to blood rights and what is referred to in Islamic law as 'vali dam.' In cases of spousal killing or honor killing, Islamic penal laws have left loopholes that allow the killer to be exempt under pretexts such as 'honor' or suspicion of 'illicit relationships.' According to Islamic penal law in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the punishment for 'murder' is 'qisas,' but according to Article 630 of the Islamic Penal Code, 'if a man observes his wife committing adultery with a foreign man and knows of the woman's compliance, he may kill them at that moment, and if the woman is coerced, he may only kill the man.' Civil activists and human rights defenders have been protesting against discrimination against women in the laws of the Islamic Republic for decades, and international organizations and the United Nations have repeatedly called on the Iranian authorities to prioritize the repeal of discriminatory laws. This demand has remained unanswered for four decades. The increase in the statistics of 'honor killings' in Iran; at least 8 women were killed in two weeks. Continuation of honor killings in Iran; 9 cases recorded in less than a month.